On Tribal Land, Banishment, Rehabilitation and Re-entry Add Up to Justice

Emily Schwing

November 02, 2020 |

70 Million |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Toksook Bay, Alaska

Remote Alaskan villages traditionally followed the native practice of banishing members of their communities for serious, chronic wrongdoing. Created in the absence of a functioning criminal justice system of police, courts, and jail, banishment provided safety for families and communities from people prone to violence. Though rare, the practice persists even when limited forms of law enforcement and state justice processes are available. People who are incarcerated or on parole who are also banished can be denied the rehabilitative benefits of their family and cultural home.

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'I'm not invisible': Kentucky millennials with felony records head to the polls for first time

Chloe Atkins

October 31, 2020 |

NBC News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Kentucky

More than 170,000 people with felony records in Kentucky won the right to vote in the 2020 election under an order by the governor. Although not as concrete as legislation, the governor's order at least temporarily rescinds the state's permanent voting ban for most people with felony convictions. The order pertains to people with non-violent offenses. Unlike some states' re-enfranchisement policies, Kentucky's does not require payment of outstanding fines or restitution. The policy is seen as a particular benefit to people of color and millennials.

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How Cook County Jail Became the Country's First Jail-Based Polling Place

Kiran Misra

October 30, 2020 |

Belt Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

As the first jail to serve as a polling place for the people incarcerated there, the Cook County Jail saw the highest number of votes cast in a primary election in decades during the spring primary. On two weekends of early voting for the fall general election, more than 2,000 people cast their ballots, nearly 40% of the jail's population. In jail, in-person voting has several advantages over mail-in voting, which in the past was the only option, as at all other jails. Because most people held there have not been found guilty, they are eligible to vote. Illinois also allows same-day registration.

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We can't vote in San Quentin prison. So we held a mock election

Juan Moreno Haines Kevin Deroi Sawyer

October 28, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Quentin, California

Two men incarcerated at San Quentin prison tell how the men incarcerated there held a mock presidential election, despite a pandemic-related lockdown and prison officials' failure to distribute ballots that had been sent to the prison. Using handwritten ballots, the "voters," denied their actual voting rights by the state, managed to cast 176 mock votes (heavily favoring Joe Biden) by distributing the ballots during limited time outside their cells. Voting gave the men the opportunity to express their views, not just by checking a box but by adding comments on their ballots.

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Ballots Behind Bars

La Risa Lynch

October 24, 2020 |

The Crisis Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Votes works to ensure access to voting for people awaiting trial in jail. In addition to registering thousands of voters, they helped pass a Cook County law designating the nation’s largest single-site detention facility as a polling place. This access enabled 1,850 people to cast their votes and about 600 people were able to take advantage of same-day registration and voting, which isn’t possible with traditional absentee ballot voting. Addressing jail-based disenfranchisement, which disproportionately impacts communities of color, gives people a voice in policies that directly impact them.

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After serving prison time, these students excel in Fresno State program. How it works

Ashleigh Panoo

October 21, 2020 |

The Fresno Bee |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fresno, California

Project Rebound helps formerly incarcerated students navigate and succeed in pursuing their higher education goals. The program works with potential candidates, whether they are incarcerated or have completed their sentences, and provides aid in meeting basic needs like gas, food, shelter, as well as legal advice referrals and navigating technology. By 2021, 14 California State University campuses plan to be using the program. As of 2016, there were 180 students participating in the program and the number more than doubled by 2019.

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Their App Sends Free Mail to Incarcerated People. Now They're Helping Prisoners Register to Vote

Emily Nonko

October 20, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Ameelio is a technology startup launched by Yale students to facilitate free communication between people who are incarcerated and loved ones. In their first six months, the group went from sending 300 to over 4,000 letters a week to facilities in the United States. Their initial goal was to provide a not-for-profit alternative to the oftentimes predatory prison telecommunications industry. Recently they began a voter registration initiative where they send registration instructions, a blank voter registration application, and ballot request form to people who are incarcerated and eligible to vote.

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For these employers, there are no background checks, no drug tests, no interviews, and no problems

Beth Adams

October 20, 2020 |

City Newspaper (Rochester) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

The Greyston Center for Open Hiring teaches businesses to fill entry-level positions using only a wait list, hiring whomever is next on the list without an interview, background check, or drug test. The open-hiring program, which started in Yonkers, N.Y., and expanded to Rochester, promotes lowered barriers as a benefit both to workers and employers. Employers report lower turnover and greater loyalty among employees whose criminal records frustrated their job searches through traditional channels. The center also provides services to help employees succeed.

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Behind prison walls, cats and inmates rehabilitate each other through animal care program

Jordan Erb

October 19, 2020 |

IndyStar (The Indianapolis Star) |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pendleton, Indiana

In Indiana's maximum-security Pendleton Correctional Facility, the FORWARD program (Felines and Offenders Rehabilitation With Affection, Reformation and Dedication) puts incarcerated men in charge of caring for cats rescued from abuse or the streets while the cats await adoption. The men learn job skills and can feel empathy for a dependent animal, which research has shown can improve behavior both inside prison and afterward. The caregivers say their job gives them purpose and greater self-esteem. About 20 have been hired after prison by Indiana's Animal Protection League, which helps run the program.

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Second Largest Police Force to Stop Criminalising Drug Users

Max Daly

October 16, 2020 |

Vice |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Four UK police forces have adopted drug-decriminalization policies over the past five years, diverting hundreds of cases toward treatment and harm-reduction counseling, and away from criminal convictions, fines, and incarceration. The policies, which apply even in cases involving heroin and cocaine, have been found to reduce drug offenses and conserve police resources for more serious crime. Based on those programs, West Midlands, the second-largest police force in England and Wales, is launching a one-year pilot project aimed at diverting 1,500 people's cases away from the criminal process.

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